USA Image problem?

hehe..try as I might to avoid it, we sometimes still end up on the same side of the fence

 

In 1968--Tet Offensive--I was a freshman in high-school. 'Used to love those old Sgt Mike comic-strips in the daily paper... and was pretty good at drawing my own.
When I graduated high-school in '72, I had already made-up my mind to enroll in college. I grew-up in a college town. I remember driving down Fraternity/Sorority row back in the late 60's and seeng a huge banner hanging over the entrance to one of the houses.
The banner showed a "VC commie" with a burp-gun and it read: "Watch Those Grades." Back then if you flunked-out of college you immediately lost your college deferrment and became eligible for the draft. I registered for the draft on my 17th birthday... still have my draft-card.
It was popular for anti-war types to meet returning soldiers at the airport and throw things at them... heckle them as baby-killers. Today, I certainly wish I had been more vocal at protesting such treatment of our returning boys and girls... but it was not a good time to be a patriotic citizen in the USA. Certainly not in a college-town where anti-war demonstrations seemed to take-place every week. While young soldiers were proud of the uniform they wore, they recieved nothing but catcalls and derision when they wore it in public. A got-dam shame.

Good comments woody, grieg and jeag.

Tim

 

I agree with all you say Tim, though I do think that it is rather a drastic way to encourage school attendance...

We wanna see them!

 

Ricky:
Regarding those Sgt Mike comics of the 1960s...
If memory serves, they were penned by a GI and in a distinctive style that I found I could 'copy' fairly-well. (Unless my folks saved all my old high-school notebooks, I imagine they are lost to the ages.) It WOULD be interesting to see if I could find any of that 'ol stuff!
I was 'noted' for doodling and drawing in my notebooks all through my 'school-years' ...instead of taking notes. I could sketch the warplanes and armor of the era in great detail. I recall penning the F-11 Tiger--which I thought a beautiful aircraft, the Hawker Hunter--in same catagory--the F7 Cutlass, and I had the F-4 Phantom down-pat. Being an avid reader of Haunted Tank comics, drawing an M3 Stuart or Tiger I was second-nature. In college I was a Fine arts major... which seemed quite appropriate.
In a past-life, I was a commerical artist and later a graphic-designer. "Old School" of course. T-squares and triangles. X-acto knives, Rapidograph technical pens and drafting tables, rubber-cement and overlays-era. Desk-top publishing and the PC/MAC revolution changed everything.

Tim

 

It wasn't all like that, though. When in uniform I had many a drink or meal paid for by complete strangers and also had people approach me in airports to shake my hand. Reactions differed as much as people do. College towns in California or the Northeast were usually hostile places and people in small towns in the south and midwest were usually friendly.

 

Grieg:
I'm very relieved to hear such a perspective. None of those young soldiers deserved to be treated any differently than GI's returning from WW2.
My dad was a Korean-war vet... and I don't believe they were greeted with parades when they returned, but they sure weren't spit-upon either.
While Indiana is certainly a conservative Mid-Western state... IU is definitely a hot-bed of liberalism and 'lefties gone-wild" ... and has been for as long as I can recall.
It's such a unique atmosphere that I've spent my whole life here. It's my home... my town does not vote like the rest of Indiana, but rather like Madison, Wisconsin. (Another ultra-liberal college-town.)
These people here still bemoan that Kerry/Edwards were defeated in the presidential election... and display their bumper-stickers on their cars in protest even today.

Tim

 

Things like theese doesn't help US image:
CBS Left Behind:Scott Pelley On The Plight Of Iraqis Who Helped The U.S.

If video doesn't work go to C&L.

 

I disagree. Fleeing their country is not the answer to Iraq's problems.
They need to help secure a new Iraq not because they want to help America (if that is why they say they did it) but because they want a free Iraq for their children and grandchildren.
Everything bad that occurs in Iraq or elsewhere in the Middle East can be blamed on the US if that is one's inclination however that won't help solve the problems. There are problems that cannot be solved for them by the US or by anyone else except themselves.

 

From your reply it is obvious that you didn't bother to read or watch the article (again).

 

I read the article. The video didn't work for me. What's your point?

 

It doesn't hepl US credibility to leave poeple who helped them out to dry.

So what is your point?
They worked for US and were left to dry. So according to you they should stay and be killed.

BTW Video is here:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Download/15222/1/60Minutes-LeftBehind.wmv

 

No, they should want to stay because Iraq is their country.
We don't really know that they are being targeted because they worked for the US. They say that is the case but then thousands of economic refugees from around the world try to get green cards in the US every year with the claim that their life is in danger in their home country. they do this because that is the one justification that will get them a hearing.
Oftentimes it turns out that they have vastly overstated the case or fabricated stories in order to emmigrate to the US.
I think there should be a limited program for those whose stories turn out to be true and who have no good alternative way to be safe in Iraq.
Keep in mind that most of IRaq is pretty safe. It's only in and around Baghdad that significant violence occurs.

 

If you realy read the article you would know that most would if not for few pesky insurgents who would like to kill them.

Collaborators get killed especcialy in civil wars. We have 400+ mass graves of them to prove it so please spare me the bullshit.

How many from Iraq?

You realy should lay off FOX news for a while.

 

im afraid that leaveing interpreters and employees who served the us military behind is very likely a death sentence for them ... people get kidnapped and murdered by the tens and twentys every night in iraq just for being the wrong kind of muslim ...these people imo will face the same kind of treatment as a russian national who was accussed of aiding the werhmachrt after the red army rolled into town. if these people arent by definition , political refugees i dont know who is....once we pull out of iraq you can bet the syrians will step up the deportations of any iraqi with a us interpreter employment history ,however brief...

 

AS i stated previously it's their country and they should want to stay and straighten out it's problems. the US didn't bring Shiite/Sunni hatred to Iraq. It was already there and will still be there after the US leaves. Iraqis need to deal with it.
Many people around the world wish to emmigrate to the US for purely economic reasons and it is common to use the justification that they will be targeted for death in their home country. I have seen no evidence that Iraqis that assisited US forces were being sytematically targeted for death.

The statistics prove that the majority of Iraq does not have the violent attacks that are seen in and around Baghdad.That is a fact and not a misinformed opinion and I resent your resort to personal remarks about what news source I rely upon. You obviously know nothing about me or my sources of information so your remarks are purely ad hominem and add nothing but rancor to the debate .
You need to stop the personal BS now.

 

I cant bolive what u wrote greig.....

And u really try ur best to defend US in Iraq.Idk why,coz whole world see how much problems,and death US ocupation made in Iraq.

Lets back to the topic.Why is US image bad in world? Coz they bully politic of world policeman is new variant of Imperalism.Why is wital for US to hawe bases all ower world? Is it necessary? Is it necessary to involve in souverign coutrys internal matthers on variant ways,usualy ilegal ones.
Is is natural that one law is for US and completly otther for rest of the world? Where is democracy and equals there? There is not.Search there image problems,and u will find all answers.

 

It IS natural to try to defend your "own" country... you defend/trivialize/minimalize Serbian actions in the 90s conflict, for example.

However, Grieg always backs his statements up and uses impeccable logic.

Jealousy?

Yawn..

To answer your questions in order: It is. Yes. Yes, which illegal ones?

See "Guy in Bar" quote from Team America: World Police. Putting the F back in Freedom!

Sounds like a lot of work... I'd rather just go to foxnews

 

the image of the usa is bad ???...as compared to ...germany? russia., france ,china , iran .......serbia? the usa has done great wrong in the world to whom ??? .... what great power has trod the world with more care for the saftey of civillians ,with less avarice ... when...? ? we led the way and paid the way (not in blood ,but material and know how..) in the defeat of the axis evils ...,we wore down the most murderous and soul crushing powers in history when the commisars packed it in ...hitler was a minor leauger compared to joe,mo and po....we promote liberty ,equality ,tolerance and justice where ever we go ... west germany ,japan ,so korea...in viet nam we failed , 3 outta 4 aint so bad ...is it? (WE TRY , dammit) we have a good working democracy ...we think the whole world could use it..,... we aint perfect its true .. .......and now , we still face a virulent fasciest muslim exstremist movement ...which of course wants not only us americans dead ,but all of YOU guys , as well ( the secular modern west) ...and of course serbians being long time friends of islam , would likely get extra special treatment , in a jihad world ...right , sinessa ?? ........and really... this western failure in iraq bodes very ill for islam ...the moderates of the muslim world had better sit up and take a look arround ...us and the brits are not gonna fart arround , next time .......think about it ...we tried plan A ... us troops on the ground , didnt work .....if the suicidal muslims succeed with a real wmd attack in the west ..in the eu , in america .......i think we will see plan b...and it wont be about us troops in humvees...now.... some pc lovers are gonna screech about ...not all muslims are terrorists bent on killing the western infidal dogs...and blah blah ect !.. ....uh , yea we know that ... its a bummer that they all live so close together ...... im thinkin , the trying to sort them out on the ground thing .... ie iraq ,present time ..(plan a ) is gonna be over very soon ....after we leave , mulims better pray hard in their mosques for the success of usa,s homeland security and mi 5, because its their OWN dusty arid homelands that are gonna really ,really be at risk ...too bad about plan a , though ...oh well , at least we tried. ,right? ........GODS WILL...as the arabs say......and btw ...we aint gonna give a fek bout our image problem ...this usa image ....right now , THIS IMAGE ...is gonna look like mother terresa , in retrospect ..... we are playing the good cop NOW ...later we prolly gonna see MR BAD COP if we get attacked again .only our peoples saftey and of course , yours.... is gonna matter ...and ....the future of the islamic world might be very BRIGHT undeed !! .. its all gonna depend on them ,, what they do ...i hope they ( moderate muslims ) ....can wake up ... get down on their knees ..pray to the east ....AND SMELL THE FKN COFFEE

 

Well you all know my opinion on this

If I sell you a shovel, and you dig... who does the work?

Now say I only gave you 10% of that shovel...


But as to the rest of it, sure... One could say that America is considered to be the most stable and reliable when it comes to human rights and morals... However that doesn't seem to save her from being judged just as harshly as the lowliest corrupt despotism... And why shouldn't she be?

Should we be more lenient when criticizing American policy, simply because she has an impeccable human rights record? What kind of precedent would that set for the American government? It would only give them room to slacken that record...

Nobody recognizes good government because nobody pays attention when things are running smoothly... Only when things are in a mess

 

...your actyually gonna pay me for the shovel??? ...suppose i give you and your buddies 5000 shovels and you are able to divert a toxic sludge spill from entering your city streets and groundwater and you are thereby able to save yuor homes which otherwise would have been made unihabitable for 85 years
brittain and russia would have perished without lend lease ..without brittain hanging tough there would be no place to launch overload from ...without the red armys bloody work , ,overloard would have been smashed in normandy
ps ..keep the shovels , smeg ...that 1000 picks you asked for ,mebby two weeks yet ,, is strill in transit ...we hope